The Queen
by Stylus of Gold
Summary: Serena Venser: a Solar with dreams of conquest , utopia and glory. But would those dreams ever be realized? And along the way, would she become a greater demon than the ones she fought? Independent companion piece to The Sorceress.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1–Inheritance

Serena Venser stood on the balcony of her villa, her son standing next to her. She gazed onward, watching helplessly as her love rode away for the last time. They both knew what fate awaited him, for he was a Solar and no matter how hard he rode, he could not escape the Wyld Hunt this time. He would fight. He would amaze them with his valour, his skill, his strength-at-arms. And he would die.

She wished she could help him somehow. She'd offered to shelter him, but he'd said that, princess or not, she couldn't stop them. She'd offered to smuggle him out, but he'd said that they had operatives watching every door. She'd even offered to fight beside him, had been strapping on her tiger claws when he'd said that it would only get her killed. She was a superb fighter; one of the best, but she was no Exalt. The only way to save him, he'd said, was to remember him, to honour his memory and to keep their son Tommy alive.

There had been quite a scandal when Tommy was born, ten years ago. Her father had been in a rage, especially when she'd refused to identify Tommy's father, _especially_ when he turned out blind, deaf and dumb. He'd been almost at the point of disowning her when Serena had reminded him that she was the only heir he could trust not to squander away his kingdom, such that it was.

They'd since mended the rift between them… mostly. She'd explained that she'd been young and stupid, when in reality she'd kept up her love affair with Khaine after that, though it was very difficult due to his being a Solar and having to move constantly, not to mention her father's disapproval. She was nearly thirty years old now, and still behaving like a lovestruck young woman. She supposed absence made the heart grow desperate.

These thoughts plagued her mind along with a montage of their love, from their first meeting in the university to the day he'd told her he was a Solar to their shared visions for the future to Tommy's birth to his Khaine's exile to his return to now, as she watched him go, as she stood on the precipice and wondered why she did not hurl herself off this balcony and join him in the battle; join him in death. Her tiger claws were on. She could probably kill a couple, maybe even take out a dragon-blood!

But no, that would accomplish nothing. Better to live on to carry his torch and honour his memory than to die here for nothing. But how would she honour his memory?

"Come now," she heard someone behind her say, slowly, persuasively "you know you're lying to yourself. You know it's cowardice to leave your love to die, and yet you do nothing."

Serena whipped around, but saw nothing. She looked back, and saw it as it was happening: Khaine was trapped, his horse dead, his sword drawn. He was making his final stand. Mortal soldiers surrounded him with spears pointed in towards him. An immaculate monk whom Serena recognized as Mnemon Torogi stepped forward and engaged Khaine. Serena knew that he would die now, if not by the Immaculate than by the three other dragon-bloods riding towards the scene from around the estate. Serena drew Tommy close, for once glad her son could neither see nor hear what was going on. Khaine was fighting as hard as he could, but the monk was dodging every attack. Khaine at last landed a blow with gloved fist, bringing the monk down, but in the moment when he would have killed the immaculate, a soldier stabbed him in the knee. Serena let out a sob, then watched as her love, her Khaine, had his throat slit by the immaculate in front of her. It was over.

"You could have saved him, you know," she heard the voice say, "you were strong enough to have broken through the soldiers. He could have defeated that monk and then taken his horse and escaped. You let him die."

Serena knew not whether this was the truth, but she could barely keep her tears back now. She staggered into her chambers and fell asleep crying, her son Tommy, all that was left of Khaine in this world besides the body which would be soon cremated, standing silently by her side.

She awoke the next day to the words "Time to wake up. You may have failed, but that doesn't mean it's over."

Dead inside and intellectually wondering if she was going mad, Serena went down to see what had been prepared for her breakfast. The servants had prepared a sumptuous meal of poached quail eggs. Her father was being questioned by the Wyld Hunt at this point. She ate the eggs. She groomed her beautiful red hair. She selected a red gown. She applied her perfume. She looked down at her son and, a little animation returning to her actions, got him dressed. "You have to accept it was your fault. You could have saved him," said the voice.

She went down, began her training. Daily instruction in tiger style martial arts to keep her fit and able. Her father had always told her that a ruler must also be a warrior. Still consumed by emptiness, her techniques lacked any sort of feeling in them and her godly sifu remonstrated her, though she hardly listened.

She wiled away the day, finally going to sleep in the exact same deadened state as she'd gotten up. Her last thought was of, and in some ways directed to, Khaine: How will I honour your memory? and the last thing she heard that day was "Just wait, princess. I'll show you how."

Day after day passed for the better part of a week. Each day, the voice became more persuasive, sometimes alluding to making her a "peer of hell", and the idea didn't seem as repugnant to her as she thought it should have. Every day, however, it seemed she was getting closer to the answer to her conundrum; something Khaine had said when she'd told him she felt lost and helpless: "You can be more. Pursue your dreams. Don't back down."

She thought back to then, when he'd said those words, and remembered that that was the moment she'd realized she was worth something, that she could change things. But that still didn't answer the question: how would she honour his memory?

She got up the next day, five days after Khaine's death, with renewed vigour. She'd accepted that yes, it was possible she had been responsible for his death, but that wasn't going to stop her from honouring his memory somehow. She threw herself back into her training, wolfed down her portions and got to sleep that day feeling alive again.

The next day, Serena took a ride out of town. She was so sure that today she'd find how to honour his memory. "Princess, it's getting late, I'll raise the stakes," she heard the voice say, "Time for you to embrace your destiny. Become a peer of hell, and you can control your fate."

She stopped her horse, dismounted. _What else can I do?_ she thought, _Khaine was an Exalt, I'm a mortal. How can I honour his memory without gaining greater power?_ but something in her told her it was wrong, that Khaine wouldn't want her submitting herself to the powers of hell in exchange for power. "Why do you hesitate? You'll serve the Yozis in some things, but you'll become a master of the world, the master of your own fate. It's a good bargain, really, a steal!"

_How will I honour Khaine's memory?_ Serena thought desperately, the answer seeming just around the corner, just on the tip of her tongue, but time was running short; she could feel it. This was a demon, and if she wasted it's time she would lose this chance at maybe the only power that could let her honour his memory and she might not live to regret it.

A man materialized in front of her, dark and handsome, with small, feathered, vestigial wings sprouting from his back. "Come now. You know it's the best, no, the only choice. How else will you honour his memory?" _He wanted to bring about peace. Is that what I shall do? ANd how?_

Her time with Khaine and the war between King Cole and her father &amp; allies flashed before her. His fostering of her self-confidence, the brutality of the soldiers. His telling her never to let anyone stifle her dreams, the horror of battle. His imploring her to make her own mark on the world after their first parting, the death of innocents at the hands of kings. And in that moment, she knew that to honour his memory, she would have to pursue her dream, exaltation or not, and she knew what that was.

The demon said "Time's up. What are you going to do?"

Serena looked up, light blazing in her eyes and upon her forehead, and said in simple words, so that the demon could understand: "To bring justice."

And in that moment, she exploded into light, hearing the booming words echo in her ear as the sun shone down on her with it's infinite radiance. "Thy cause is just and thy will is strong. Take this, my child, and use it to bring justice to the world."

Shining golden regalia surrounding her, Zenith caste mark burning on her forehead, Serena roared one phrase to the demon: "Go to hell!" and then slashed his throat with a swipe from her hand. It recoiled, dematerialized, and fled back to hell. She'd practiced tiger style for years, approached what her godly sifu had called "the pinnacle of mortal excellency," but until now had never understood the true power of the tiger.

Now she was Exalted. Now she was strong. Now she was ready to take on the world, and bring justice to the land so that the strong would never again abuse their power and harm the weak. And in that moment: freshly exalted, with determination igniting a fire in her soul, she felt Khaine again beside her, and knew that he was smiling.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2–Motivation**

It had been three weeks since her Ascension. She hadn't told anyone yet and had been very glad it was daytime and she was far away from everyone else when she had Exalted.

Now she was in the audience chamber, doing what she normally did: watching her father rule. Watching. Learning. One day, one day probably not too far off if his health kept deteriorating, Serena would make a second ascension and become queen. Queen over Ashdale. Though this would have discouraged others, Serena saw it as a challenge: she had no intention of staying queen of Ashdale, in fact she'd already begun to lay out plans for the liberation of Nexus and the instalment of her as queen over it. First she'd need to show the other nobles (Or "monarchs" as they liked to call themselves) that she was a good, strong ruler. Then she'd use her Charms to gain control over them and to sway the people of Nexus and the surrounding area and one by one get them in her pocket. Inevitably, old King Cole would see her as a threat and try to wipe her off the map, which would give her reason enough to take Betancuria and, from there, liberate Nexus by defeating the Cynis legion in battle at the opportune moment.

But for now she waited. Yesterday, her father had left the kingdom to her, but there is little a monarch can do to prove themselves in one day besides win a battle and there were no convenient battles around and Serena quite honestly did not relish the idea that her plans necessitated them (Though she had proven herself a tenacious war leader during the last war). Her father was listening to supplicants and responding, always temperately, always taking the middle path. That was one of King Arthur Venser's most distinctive traits: he sought common ground and compromise in all things. This was one of the things Serena did not share with him: she was either hot or cold, serene or raging. It was again something that had alienated her father from her, but he'd learned to accept that years ago; despite their differences they were family (in fact besides her son Tommy, Arthur was the only blood relation Serena could really trust) and he knew he needed her to succeed him, and they were both grown-up enough to live with each other's differences and know that these were things they could not change about each other and that the other was still more alike than different.

Of course, now that she was Exalted, she could very well change how her father worked, she just needed to get the hang of Essence channeling. She'd been able to do Martial Arts charms because she'd been learning those techniques for years, just never been able to perform them outside of extremely controlled, assisted circumstances and never to the same degree as she was now. But she knew that she'd have to go deeper: slicing a demon tempter's throat was well and good, but when she compared herself to the stories of what Solars could do or even to what Immaculates could do, she came up short. Not to mention she knew that in order to bring peace, justice and good rule to the world she would have to learn how to do more than fight.

So she had practiced out in the grounds, reciting famous speeches, trying to channel her Essence through her conviction and passion into her voice, but hadn't achieved anything near the kind of feats she'd heard of. She was much more skilled at rhetoric now than she'd ever been, but she knew she was at only a fraction of her full potential. But she could not practice on people without alerting others! Every time she got near completion, she'd find a caste mark glowing on her forehead and have to stay away for twenty minutes until it went away. She knew Khaine could channel Essence without that happening, but apparently it wasn't as easy as it looked.

Her mind snapped back to the present as another supplicant came before King Arthur, this dark brown, with short dreadlocks and a fancy blue silk shirt which had clearly seen much better days, over which was a faded brown coat and a clean shaven face. His pants were of a similar blue silk and were also a little bit worse for wear. CLearly, this man was not from around here at all!

"You got my letter?" the man asked her father, who nodded "Yes, it was very persuasive. Your credentials do seem impeccable, if not your choice of foes."  
"Who is this?" Serena asked quietly, muttering so that only her father could hear her.  
"Reza Minos," said Arthur, "A merchant from Chiaroscuro. Wants a position as treasurer and I'm of a mind to give it to him."  
_That's odd, _thought Serena, _He never just hands someone a position like that! Anyone who can get him to do that is someone I want to meet._

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She invited him to have tea with her, and shortly after he sat down she struck up a conversation. "So," she began, "who are you who is so persuasive he can get my father to hire you right off the bat?"

"Reza Minos," he replied unhelpfully, "I'm a merchant from Chiaroscuro. I challenged the Guild for their dominance in the spice trade there and almost won, but then it all went to hell. They outspent me and that was it. But I managed to salvage what I could and actually come out ahead which was a minor miracle. Anyways, I'm no longer welcome in Chiaroscuran trading circles so I came here, wanting to do government work."  
"I see," she said, "why government work?"  
"I'm good at running things," the man replied.  
"And how _did_ you get my father to hire you so easily?"  
"I've got excellent credentials and am highly persuasive, it's as simple as that."  
"Alright," she said, "that makes sense," and she changed the subject.

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Over the course of the next couple of weeks, Serena and Reza became fast friends. He was fascinated by her intellect and her by his tales of his life in the south, though she found him rather whimsical for one so talented; he'd wandered from place to place, business to business, always excelling but seldom accomplishing much. He'd also been rather hard to get many details out of, and never said too much or too little. One day, she found a letter addressed to her.

_Dear Serena, _it read, _I would like to–_ and as she watched, the next letters twisted and formed into a new message entirely_ inform you that I am a solar exalted. If you are reading this, then that must mean that you are also a solar and I am very glad you are, as it means that I may no longer be alone in this._

Surprised and shocked by this new turn of events, Serena wondered at what stroke of fortune (or perhaps Fate?) had led this man to her. Nonetheless, she threw the letter in the fireplace (she hadn't lived in her family for so long without becoming a little bit mistrusting).

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"So what do you want to do?" asked Serena. She was in her chambers, sitting across from Reza, again each holding half-full teacups (this was how most of her important conversations happened: over a spot of tea).

She had decided to be direct and to the point this time: no mind-games or veiled intentions. He knew what she was, she knew what he was, now all they needed to do was decide if they were going to be friends or foes. And for that she needed to know his goals. She supposed he'd probably have some kind of grand ambition, exalts were like that. Therefore it surprised her when he said "I don't really know."  
"What do you mean?" she asked, wondering if he was trying to deceive her or if he was genuinely without a goal.  
"What I mean is that I want to do things, but I don't know what. I tried to keep going with business, but I couldn't out-compete the Guild."  
She supposed he was a different kind of empire-builder: he'd tried creating an empire of ships and caravans, and like so many others had been dragged down and defeated by the already established powers.

"So I decided that if I couldn't do that, I'd go out and help people, but I couldn't seem to do more than mediate a few petty disputes. I was a diplomat for a while, trying to avert wars and bring some peace in Chaya, but they wouldn't listen. Even after I'd made them not need to war they kept on fighting. So I left there."  
"People," began Serena, "often as not don't really fight for the reasons they say they do. Usually it's actually about power, and "slighted honour" or "ideological conflicts" are merely a pretext."  
"Never thought of it that way…" he muttered, looking slightly perturbed at that.

There was a moment of somewhat awkward silence, broken with Serena saying "So how long have you been a Solar?"  
"Two years," he replied bitterly, "and nothing to show for it. I'm a vagrant whose never accomplished anything lasting, and I'm all out of ideals to uphold or ambitions to fulfill."

This was a side she hadn't seen in him; he'd always been cautious, never saying too much and certainly never betraying any seated bitterness over his lack of accomplishments. Granted, being a Solar Exalt without a lasting achievement to one's name must be galling, especially after two years. Khaine had accomplished much in the twelve years he was Exalted: he'd prevented six wars, negotiated four peaces, saved the nation of Halta, outwitted several deathknights (causing one of their deaths), caused a barbarian invasion to disintegrate before it hit, fooled a Raksha noble and had tea with the Emissary before it died in the invasion (or so the story went; many think the Emissary is still alive today) and won the heart of a certain young princess from Nexus.

"So what do you want to do?" Reza asked.

"Well," said Serena, "I've been looking at power and what people do with it. It's like in Chaya– people don't use their power to help others, they use it to get more of it. All these "reasons for war" are pretexts to mask rulers' lust for more power. They gain it, they accumulate it, they trade it, they seize it, and most ultimately abuse their power and those beneath them. But I think… I think that doesn't have to be the case. I think that it's possible for someone, especially someone like us, to make a real difference. To set an example for the rest of the world to follow. To use their power to do what's best for the people under them, so that the strong won't harm the weak anymore. That's what I want to do. Once there is a good, kind and responsible ruler on the throne, who won't abuse their power, peace, justice and happiness will follow, sure as light follows darkness. And I think– I think that for Nexus, I can be that ruler."

She realized that she'd been talking as much to herself as to him, and looked up. He was slowly nodding, pensive. He looked up and said "Yes. I suppose that's something I could support. I suppose you could even call it admirable. But… admirable things don't work in the real world, not if…" he trailed off, as if searching for the end to his sentence.  
"Not if you try to do them alone," she finished for him, then added "but we don't have to be. If two Solars work together, they can change the world. It's what we were meant to do."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3–A death in the family

Serena Venser stood next to her father, King Arthur Venser. They'd said it was a disease, but Serena knew better. Her father was healthy and strong, despite his age, and moreover was surrounded by a family of vipers. The doctors didn't know what it was except for some vague "wasting sickness" and didn't seem to know what to do at all. She'd sent for an alchemist from Nexus to get here as quickly as possible with a venom-purging potion, but it had been too late. By the time she had realized it was poison and sent for the alchemist, he was bedridden and dying. He had perhaps two hours to live at this point.

Her aunt Katrina, her cousin Balin, and her uncle Brandin were next to her. She hated that. She knew it had been Brandin, but she had no proof to substantiate it. He was the main one (besides Serena herself) who stood to gain from Arthur's death, and he had been scheming and plotting various gambits for years.  
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That's what she had thought outside of this room. Outside this room, she knew her father would die one day and that the world would doubtless mark the next day, when she took her little, tiny throne, as a great day in history. Outside this room, she had thought of who did it, tried to find ways of proving it, lamented that her uncle would go on living after this and rejoiced in the fact that he'd have to try to kill her (and doubtless fail) and that after that she'd be able to pin him for it and avenge her father upon him.

Inside this room, she was already overcome with grief. There was nothing else except her and her father, his life slowly slipping away as the poison made it's agonizing way to his heart. He held onto her hand, his grip still tight, as tears slowly streamed down her face.  
Arthur Venser chuckled. He said, his voice growing faint, "Don't cry, Serena. You're going to be queen. Queen's don't cry."  
Serena slowly nodded, feeling much younger than her thirty-one years. "I'm… sorry I wasn't a better father," he said, "Did I do alright?" his grip was beginning to slacken.

She channeled her Essence then, almost unconsciously, and reassured him "You did wonderfully."  
He smiled, slowly nodding. "Then I'm content. Goodbye, Serena. Goodbye, Brandin. Goodbye, Katrina. Goodbye, Balin. Goodbye everyone."  
Then he slipped his hand out of Serena's and gestured to his doctor, who gave him a draught of hot mulled wine, which he slowly downed and fell asleep. Four hours later, he was pronounced dead, and the ritual words were spoken: "The king is dead. Long live the queen!"  
Two hours later, the alchemist arrived from Nexus and, upon seeing his charge dead, decided to be generous and only charged half-price.  
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Serena wore a dress of golden silk as she mounted the steps to the throne. She had been a solar for two months now, and her wardrobe had changed as a result. Turning around, she sat down upon her throne. For some reason, tears stung at her eyes. She didn't know why, but there they were. She hoped no-one saw them gathering there as she sat down. It wouldn't be proper; she was the queen now: queen of a fishing town on a lake. More than that though, she was a Zenith caste Solar: the world, or at least a sizeable part of it, was her birthright. And she intended to claim it. And once she had done so, she would bring justice to it, and ensure that the strong would not harm the weak. Se would create a better world. She would make Khaine proud.  
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Her first action as queen was to give Reza more influence in the court by putting him in charge of diplomacy as well. Her next was to make overtures to the kings Torm, Cecil and Ramiro, as well as Ser Aquar the new queen Elanus Margaren. She had Reza send letters imbued with a subtle wording and carefully calculated assurances as only he could make, which would cause these petty kings to be more amenable to what she was going to propose: she knew she was on a tight schedule and would have to act soon, before the Realm moved to wipe her out.

Fortunately for her, she already had somewhat of a reputation, both bad (though the scandal of her pregnancy was ten years stale by now) and good: she had proven herself a tenacious fighter and inspiring leader in the war following princess Elanus' disappearance (long before she'd Exalted), when she held down an old wooden fort for nearly six months of siege (and it was a point of pride for her that by the time the war ended, it was the besiegers, not the besiegees, who were thinking of surrendering) through guerrilla tactics, stubborn defence and inspiring oratory.

In the meantime, she watched and waited. She made profiles of those who could help her and those who would oppose her, determined how she would defeat them, and created suitable fates for them once she had: King Cole would be spared and allowed a life of exile, the satrap would be made to bend the knee before her and formally revoke house Cynis' claim on Nexus, the legion commander would get what he wanted: a death in glorious in battle, and the immaculate monk Mnemon Torogi… one way or another, she would make him pay for killing Khaine.

Throughout all this, however, she often found herself feeling down and not knowing why. She would be talking to someone and just forget what she was thinking about, or wake up with a fast-fading dream and fast-drying tears on her cheeks. Once in a while she'd retreat into her room and spend a few minutes fighting back tears, thinking of how her father had died with nothing she could do about it, no saving him, no vengeance, not even the assurance that she would keep the Venser line alive since she was unwed and had so far no interest in marriage (Tommy; illegitimate and insensate, had never counted in her father's eyes).

Then she would find herself thinking back to Khaine and half-wishing she had gone down there to die with him against the Wyld Hunt, though she knew that to be folly. Then she realized she was almost out of loved ones, and that hurt. Her mother had died giving birth to her, her brothers had died when she was little, her friends from the university had all moved on, her sweetheart Rohanna had left with her Guild Factor father when the Realm had invaded (and besides, they'd been split up long before that), she bore no love for her uncle or aunt, and now Khaine and Arthur were dead too. All she had left was Tommy.

It then occurred to her that she was, for all intents and purposes, immortal. She would see Tommy grow up, age and die before her eyes, herself suspended in a moment of eternity. She would see everyone she knew die, and then she'd be truly alone. She supposed she could marry and have more children, or perhaps she could adopt. But could she endure watching them die too? _I suppose I could always be "mother to my kingdom",_ she thought ruefully, _whatever that may be._

She could marry, but her spouse would die. She could have children, but like the Scarlett Empress she would one day watch her great-grandchildren die of old age. She might find a couple friends in Reza and her other circle-mates (if she ever found any more), but then she would have the same few friends for centuries, assuming any of them offered friendship as opposed to simple businesslike association.

Confronted with the prospect of an eternity of loneliness, Serena proceeded to cry herself to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4–Debutante

Serena had invited Several nobles to her villa, and the time had almost come to meet with them. She'd rehearsed carefully with Reza and they'd gotten ready to try to garner as much support as possible from those present, save for one man. That man, King Cole, would have to be made to leave. That would set Serena up as a foe of his, which was a highly advantageous position to be in considering how little the other nobles liked him.

However, she had a little bit of time before they arrived: time for her and Reza to get ready. As she put on her makeup, she said "So, your goal will be to evaluate those present," she stopped to put on a bit of lipstick, then continued "and put in a few well-timed words to set them at ease."

"Except for King Cole, of course," finished Reza as Serena applied her blush, "And who are the principle people we'll be dealing with besides Cole?"

"Well first of all," replied Serena, "There's King Torm, his chief rival. Man doesn't have a large city like Cole but he has a great deal more territory. He's recently signed a truce with Cole after a long but rather uneventful war. Then there's Cecil, the battlehungry. He fought on the side of the coalition and is a good soldier but… he's somewhat of a loose cannon. Nonetheless, I'd rather have him on our side. Then there's Queen Rylla, who is a puppet to advisors and merchants, Ser Aquar who is an honourable man who we definitely want on our side and a few others who should be easy. Finally, there's Queen Elanus who everyone thought was dead, no-one knows much about, doesn't have many holdings and is more of an academic type. She probably won't be here, but if she is I would still like to speak to her."

She turned around and saw a slightly pale man with short, ruddy brown hair and olive eyes in an embroidered brown doublet. In other words, a completely unremarkable courtier. "Who are you?" She gasped, wondering if Reza had been there at all, but he just laughed and removed an ivory mask which had apparently melded with him and revealed Reza underneath it. "Never seen a magical mask before?" he teased, a slight smirk on his face, as Serena let out a sigh of relief. "Seriously though, it would be best if I look unremarkable for this."

"I suppose so," Serena admitted, still a little bit taken aback by the transformative powers of the mask.

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"Don't you think we should be going in?" asked Serena as a pair of her guests greeted each other from behind a closed door. Reza had insisted on them not going into the room yet and Serena had gone along with him after the first guest party had arrived, and the second, but now that the third had shown up she wanted to know why. "No, not yet," Reza said calmly, a slight smile upon his face, "this is good. Remember, they're here for you, not you for them. Keep them waiting a few minutes: it keeps them guessing and gives the impression that you're a very busy woman."  
"And how does that benefit us?"  
"It's simple. If you're too mysterious, then no-one will want to ally with you, but if you're too normal then people will just lump you in with the others. But if you are a little bit enigmatic, it'll get them interested in you. They'll be more likely to listen to what you have to say."

She supposed it made sense, but she'd always preferred to do things directly. In the war, she'd been fiery and passionate, not subtle and cunning. That was just what she did, really: people flocked to her like a moth to a flame, and she'd never needed any of these tricks. Granted, she'd been trying to get a bunch of peasants to fight for their homes. Now, she was trying to get a bunch of lords to start a revolution, but was there really much difference? It was a well known fact that you could get much further speaking to the soul than to the mind, playing upon emotion rather than logic, and that was where Serena excelled.

"But if they're detachedly and cerebrally curious, won't that mean that it'll be hard to get them emotionally involved?" inquired Serena.  
Reza considered for a moment, then nodded pensively and answered "Perhaps. But it'll make it much easier to get them onto your side, and once they are you can just use Charms to get them emotionally invested. And remember, we're going for enough mystery to get them interested, but not enough to make it the primary thing."

Reza raised one finger in a silencing gesture, waited five seconds, then opened the door, allowing Serena to lead the way into the room.

For a moment, all eyes were upon Serena. Her eyes darting across the room, she noticed Queen Rylla, Ser Aquar, King Cecil and King Torm, as well as their respective entourages. Serena gave a slight curtsy as she entered, then said formally "I am so glad you could all come," then with a hint of mischief "It is good to see so many gathered here for my sake."

She would have to time everything very precisely: she'd captured their attention, but needed to not only keep it but use it in the right way. She had to appear courteous until Cole arrived (which she reckoned would not be for quite some time yet), aloof yet personal, as though she was one of hem but at the same time better than them (which she reckoned, was basically the truth). So she glided into the room and drifted close to Torm, allowing him to make the first move as she suspected he would: the man was a quick, inquisitive fellow and stripped for allies at the moment. King Torm regarded her, his long, olive face slightly tilted to the left and his large hazelnut eyes slightly widened

Lo and behold, he approached her and offered the safest possible opening statement, "I am glad you've invited me," thus allowing her to really start the conversation. Clever man, she thought, give me a blank slate opener so you can find out my motives.  
"Of course," she responded, "my father always considered you a good friend."

Not a precisely a lie, more of an exaggeration. Her father always had considered Torm a good man, though friend might have been too strong a word. Though it was merely pleasantry, her father would never have used his father's name in such a manner; he was an honest man!  
She snapped out of her moment of uncertainty, realizing that pleasantries and exaggeration were simply the way of things and it would be ridiculous to speak completely honestly about everything. You'd simply be seen as rude and uncouth!

"I am sorry for your loss," said Torm, not breaking the chain of little pleasantries. It appears I am outmatched, she thought, when it comes to saying nothing, my abilities are decidedly lacking. However, I think it's time to say something.  
"I hear the satrap has been breathing down your neck again," she said, knowing full well what he'd been doing.  
"Yes, he really is determined to have a king of Nexus."  
"And he doesn't think you're it?"  
"No, I'm afraid not."  
"So what was his offer?"  
"Aid for fealty. He'll send his Dragon-Blooded medic if I swear loyalty to Cole."  
"Are you considering it?"  
"Absolutely not. That would spell the end for me, for you, for everyone here. Cole would have virtually no competition."

She paused for a moment. She understood the political sense in his choice, but in the end it came down to allowing cholera to rampage through his towns just to remain independent from Cole. Granted, it was probably a bluff: the satrap would not let his own people suffer for a political game, would he?

"So what will you do?"  
"Batten down the hatches, send out the plague doctors and hope Cole is as worried about it as I am."  
"What was the name of this Dragon-Blood?"  
"Cynis Hidetada. Why?"  
"I'll see what I can do. The satrap may try, but in the end no-one can control the Exalted."

And with that she left him to greet King Cecil. She had said as much as she dared, and had decided she would speak to this Hidetada; see if he would help if persuaded. Meanwhile, she approached Cecil, allowing Reza to lead them into a side room such that their conversation would not be overheard.

"King Cecil," she said, curtsying, "I am glad you've come."  
"She could see a momentary flash in his eyes. He had once sought out her affections, though she hadn't given them.  
"Cecil, I see you've held up well. From what I hear your as active as ever."  
"And you're as beautiful as ever."

That was what Khaine had said the last time they met, but Serena only heard lust in Cecil's voice; none of the tenderness of Khaine's deep-yet-soft speech.  
However, courtesy dictated she smile and thank him or blush and downplay her beauty, and she was neither young girl nor married woman, so she merely smiled and said "Why thank you Cecil."

By then they were in the side room, which was Serena's training room. Over the past couple of weeks, Serena had been using this room with much greater frequency: she had been learning Charms. On the walls were racks of weapons, mostly for her master's use. She mostly used tiger claws, but her pair were not kept here. Nonetheless, these racks served to impress those of a martial bent, and Cecil was among that crowd.

"Quite the setup you have here. Didn't know you, ah..." he trailed off.  
"My queen remembers the last war, and wishes to be ready for the next," Reza said quietly, neatly avoiding any awkwardness that could have resulted from this exchange. Granted, that wasn't why she'd gotten a martial education, but it would do.

"Yes, I recall you distinguished yourself quite nicely," Serena said.  
"As did you."  
"Hah! I stood on a wall and yelled orders at peasants."  
"You had to hold a fort down with fifty men against five hundred," he said, exactly as anticipated, "don't you tell me that's not distinguished service!"  
"I suppose you're right. Though I do prefer not to lead from the front; I leave that to others."

_There,_ she thought, _now he'll respect me as a warrior-queen without feeling emasculated._  
They spoke of war for a short time more, as this was the only topic the brute was interested in so far as Serena knew. Well warmongering and womanizing, though he'd never speak of that with Serena!

After a few minutes, Serena led Cecil out and spotted the new queen Elanus.

Elanus was a thin, bony woman of olive complexion, with her black hair done up in a tight bun behind her head, wearing a long, simple white dress not at all like the elaborate golden gown Serena wore. Her eyes were a dark brown, and seemed to have a sort of condescension in the way they were narrowed as Elanus sat down. Overall, Serena thought she was quite beautiful.

Right as Cecil took his leave and Serena got ready to make introductions, Elanus got up and introduced herself with a curt yet courteous tip of the head. "Good evening," Elanus said, "I am queen Elanus Margaren. Queen Serena, I presume?"

"Yes indeed," Serena replied, smiling, "I've heard much about you," she continued (though that wasn't entirely true: she only knew of Elanus in very broad terms), leading Elanus off to a slightly more private quarter of the room.

"And what have you heard?" asked Elanus.  
"That you are a scholarly type, and not a little daring, much like myself," responded Serena, hoping this would get Elanus talking. She needed to know about this new player, and presenting shared traits was a very good way to do that.  
Elanus took the bait, asking "Scholarly, you say? What did you study?"  
"I studied philosophy at the university," Serena replied, "though I suspect that was before you were there."

Hopefully this would establish them as intellectual peers while not directly challenging Elanus' position as scholar.

Elanus stopped to consider something, and Serena decided to go for the thing she most wanted to know: the story of Elanus' disappearance.

"I had heard that you had disappeared, possibly kidnapped by King Cole and I've been wondering for some time now: what happened that day?"  
Serena noticed a slight wrinkling of Elanus' nose as she responded "I don't want to talk about it."

Serena mentally chastised herself for her insensitivity and lack of tact, and after a moment changed tactics. Channelling the tiniest bit of Essence into her voice, she casually asked "so how are you adjusting to being a queen?"

"To be perfectly honest, I haven't had much experience with it. But so far it has been largely dull work."  
Reza broke in with a chuckle "Nine parts drudgery, one part excitement, eh Serena?"  
"Indeed," agreed Serena, glad she'd taken Reza, "though I do so miss the drudgery when the excitement does come."  
Reza drew out a letter and handed it to Elanus, murmuring "I must depart, but please do consider this."  
_So soon? That must be some hunch, if he's willing to bring out the letter..._

Elanus took the letter and read it over. The letter had been similar to the one used to determine Serena's nature: a simple greeting and offer of friendship to mortals, but so much more to Solars. Elanus' pretty brown eyes widened in surprise, then returned to normal. She looked up, right eyebrow raised.

"Well that's… interesting," she said slowly, "I never thought there were more of us here."

Serena felt a knot, which she didn't know was there before, untwist within her. She smiled and exclaimed "Why that's wonderful!" before adding soberly "Do you wish to join us in our quest?"  
"And what quest is that?"  
"We wish to free Nexus from the Realm's yoke."

This was of course only the first step in a long-term plan to bring liberty, civility, independence and justice to Nexus, but they could get to that once the Realm had been ousted.  
Elanus considered again, then responded "Very well, I'll help you in that."  
"Alright," said Serena, "We'll meet back here in a couple days. In the meantime, I must make an announcement to the others."  
She waited in anticipation for a moment, but Elanus didn't say anything.

–––––––––––

She left the sideroom and spent the next half hour having inane conversations with the likes of Ramiro and Rylla, two nobles who did not know the first thing about politics but who it would be best to befriend.

She and Reza split up to cover more ground, such that he could make Introdctions and set the stage for her to talk to each noble in turn. There were many "oh, surely"s and "but of course"s and "absolutely"s exchanged, but Serena knew they all meant nothing.

However, it was necessary. She aimed to seize nexus by force, and to do that she'd need soldiers. To get soldiers, she'd need the loyalty of the men and women around her. To get their loyalty, she'd need their trust. And to get their trust, she had to talk to them individually, no matter how far beneath her they were.

After a while of this, she spotted King Cole and swooped in to make her move. By antagonizing him, she could set herself up as his rival and use that to split everyone up into two factions: pro-Cole and anti-Cole. She would then place herself as head of the anti-Cole faction, defeat the pro-Cole faction and then redirect her followers and the new resources of Cole's city of Betancuria towards the Realm. Only then would she reveal her true nature. In the meantime, she would appear as a mortal. A hyper-competent mortal, but a mortal nonetheless.

She sat next to Cole and opened with "Hello, Cole. I trust you are feeling well?"  
"As well as ever," he replied in his gravelly tone. Serena could when she was sixteen; when Cole had been the only king in the region, and Betancuria was dependent upon neither The Realm nor Nexus. He had been a merry soul back then and a charming man besides. Then the invasion had happened, then the declarations of monarchy, and he had soured and grown hard in his old age. Now he was little more than a despot, and Serena planned to use this to her advantage.  
"No Cholera spreading through your city?"  
She was fairly sure that the rumours of Cole poisoning Torm's wells were false, but it was a good way to start antagonising him.  
"No," replied Cole in a tone that brooked no further discussion. However, Serena wasn't about to let this one go.  
"Good. I suppose that means that after it's passed by Torm's people you'll attack him again?"

Cole looked up at her. His mouth was set into a scowl, and now more than ever Serena could see the lines creasing every section of this man's face, the rings of exhaustion permanently drawn around his cold eyes. He slowly shook his head and asked "Do you really think I'm that much of a monster?"  
"Wouldn't take a monster. Just someone who can turn everything off. Someone who lost touch with themselves a long time ago."  
"How dare you judge me?" he hissed, his quiet voice cutting through the din of the feast straight to Serena's ears, "You're a little girl who plays at being queen. I've been king for twenty-seven years. I'd love to see you in charge of a real city, not some backwater town outside of Nexus. I'd love to see what it did to you."  
"I have seen what it's done to you," Serena snapped, voice rising, "If ten years ago, you could see yourself now, you wouldn't be able to stand it. The truth is, despite any excuses you make for yourself– "  
"We don't have to be enemies," Cole growled, but Serena cut him off, "I want nothing to do with your kind, Cole. You are a warmonger, a bloodthirsty murderer and a fool!"

She stormed off. She was angry, but also quite satisfied with her performance. She felt a small smile creeping onto her face as she sat down as far from Cole as possible.  
Everything she'd said had been true, she told herself. No matter his excuses, Cole was a warmonger and a tyrant and deserved to be deposed, she told herself. She saw Elanus heatedly arguing with Cole and chuckled ever so slightly. She then gestured for a servant named Marco to bring her a glass of wine, and slowly downed it as the scene before her unfolded.

At first, she could not hear what Elanus was saying, but towards the end it became clear, "Who sent an invading army of thousands in retaliation? Who refused all offers of peace until his army was decimated? In short, who used a misunderstanding as grounds to drown us all in blood?"  
Serena smiled. Yes, Elanus had hit the nail on the head. _Good job, _Serena thought_, I wasn't half so eloquent.  
_Cole got up, saying "I didn't come here to be insulted by little girls."  
Serena didn't catch what he said next, but she did watch him go and was glad to see it.

Seeing that the night was winding down, she decided to finish it.  
"May I have your attention please," she began slowly, standing below the dais her meagre throne rested upon. As the room grew quiet, Serena continued "Friends. Monarchs. Lords of Nexus. I am glad you are here."

She channeled Essence into her voice now, and though she did not glow all eyes were fixed forward, glued upon her. All save Elanus', who looked away, disinterested. "It can be easy, from this vantage point, to lose sight of the bigger picture. To see only what is in front of us and not what lies around us, beneath us and above us."  
She stepped up onto the dais. Normally, she could never get away with these sorts of implications, but Excellencies were a powerful thing.  
"To become obsessed with the trivial and the unimportant. To see only the fleeting, temporary things in front of us, to as they say miss the forest for the trees. Our lands have been plagued with wars, revolts, uprisings, diseases and tyranny and though we may fight each thing in turn, we find ourselves paralyzingly unable to deal with the cause."

She began to raise her voice, "It's like a wasting sickness that is treated but never cured. But the truth is, we can cure this. We know what's causing all this! We know what's needed for Nexus!" Her hands by this point were expressively gesturing as she neared the climax of her speech "We need only have the courage to do it! If we work together, if we seize our moment, then we will surely prevail," she quieted slightly, "I am not calling for a revolution," _yet_, she thought, "I am calling for unified action to transfer power away from our bumbling, corrupt, politicking Dragon-Blooded overlords and into the hands of the rulers and people of Nexus."

Calming down, Serena paused and then finished with "I hope you have enjoyed yourselves and I look forward to seeing you all again."

She knew that they didn't believe they stood any real chance against the Realm, but she also knew that didn't matter. She would first try negotiating with the Realm, trying to move administrative power away from the satrap and towards the nobility. If it worked, that would mean increased decentralization which would make the revolution step much easier. If it didn't, then she'd use that to get the lords riled up.  
One by one they dispersed. Serena returned to her chambers, congradulating Reza on her way up.

"Your performance was magnificent," Serena said.  
"As was yours."  
"Magnificent and exhausting, I really must get to sleep."  
"Well then in that case, goodnight."

––––––––––

Serena stood facing her mirror as her handmaiden Inara helped her out of her gown. There were so many layers of shining, golden fabric it was impossible to get off without help.

As the dress slowly came off, Serena's mind started to wander. _What am I doing?_ she thought, _I'm exploiting people's emotions, but am I really doing it for a good reason? I plan on going to war not once but twice. All that death…_

_All that death will buy freedom for Nexus and justice for millions. I am not Khaine the peacemaker, I am Serena. I will build my vision of paradise by any means necessary. Nothing in this world is ever accomplished without sacrifices._

The dress finally came off. Inara then began working with the laces of Serena's corset, loosening it bit by bit. She remembered when she was younger she'd chafed under it and could barely breathe, now she was used to it. After it came undone and she washed off her makeup she stood before an older woman than the one who had débuted a short while ago. Her waist was wider because of childbirth, her skin less red, her lips thinner and duller.

She didn't wear makeup and corset because she wasn't beautiful; she was still beautiful without them. She wore them as a mask. While she was wearing them, she was Serena the princess (now queen) and no-one could get to her. With them off, she was just Serena: sensitive, vulnerable, and not as able to deceive and exploit.

That was why she always wore makeup except with trusted friends, lovers and handmaidens.  
She gestured to Inara, who brought her a glass of wine. Silently, she sat upon her bed and sipped at it as Inara fetched her son.  
Tommy was brought in and placed down on her bed. He had his own room, but that was more a play area than a bedroom. Serena tucked him in beside her, then told him a story.

"There once was a boy who wished he could fly. He looked up to the wind and asked "Can you help me fly?" and the wind said…"  
After a few minutes, he had fallen asleep. She didn't know why she read to him: he was deaf, after all. But some part of it just felt right.  
She finished her glass of wine, dismissed Inara, and fell sleep.


End file.
